Blackheath Quaker Meeting House with cobbled area of forecourt

This Quaker meeting house was built in 1971–2 by Trevor Dannatt and Partners for the Blackheath Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends. The job architect was David Greenwood, the consulting engineer was Ted Happold for Ove Arup and Partners, and the contractor was R Mansell.

Materials

The main structure is of reinforced concrete, with shuttered concrete and blockwork walls. The original zinc sheeting to the roof and lantern was stolen and has been replaced with terne-coated steel. Terne coating — an alloy containing lead or zinc and tin — gives the steel the appearance of lead. The flat-roofed subsidiary elements are faced with red Warnham Wealden stock brick.

Plan and Setting

The principal aspect of the building provides the western termination of Independents Road. However, the main entrance is on Lawn Terrace, which runs parallel to and above Independents Road to the south. The meeting house therefore spans two levels, being contained by a bank to the west, with another bank rising to the south. The western boundary of the site is formed by the wall of the walkway which runs behind the meeting house.

The meeting room is on the upper level to the east, square on plan with canted corners, and raised on five concrete piers — one to each corner and one to the centre. It is set diagonally to Independents Road and to the Congregational hall, with the eastern portion projecting beyond the lower floor. The isolation of the meeting room within the space as a sort of pendant recalls a medieval chapter house, the association being underlined by the octagonal quality of the building.

The entrance concourse curves around the meeting hall to the west, with a WC in the south-west corner. The kitchen is in the block linking the meeting house with the former church hall, which extends to the north-west. The stair is at the west side of the concourse, leading down to the lower floor. The lower floor consists of a rectangular divisible classroom/committee room on a north-south alignment to the east, and a concourse to the west from which are accessed WCs to the south and a small kitchen to the north. The link block contains the lower entrance to the building.

Exterior

The dominant feature of the building is the meeting room, which is expressed externally as a polygon of shuttered concrete, the walls at each canted corner being carried up as turrets. The concrete piers supporting the projecting prow of the building are exposed at the eastern, northern and southern corners, those to the outer edge being angled inwards at the top, enclosing the negative space like a frame, whilst the easternmost pier juts forwards like a cutwater, opening it up.

The octagonal pyramidal roof leaves space at each corner, providing concealed lighting to the meeting hall, the glazing being carried by the turrets. Square gutters in blue zinc project between the corners. The roof is topped by a large square lantern with four tall rectangular leaded casements to each side. The lantern has a parapet, screening the pyramidal cap within. The corner posts of the lantern rise slightly above the parapet; some of the definition of these posts and of the central mullion to each face of the lantern has been lost in the re-covering of the roof.

The east-facing walls are blind, apart from one narrow window opening, or loop, in the south-east wall. Below the meeting room, the upper part of the classroom/meeting room wall is glazed, with painted timber window frames wrapping around the northern corner; the wall below is of painted blockwork. The north-western plane of the meeting room is screened by the brick wall enclosing the lobby between the entrance concourse and the meeting room, its concrete floor slab supported on an angled brick wall. A secondary entrance is set back to the north, in the link block with the former church hall. This has replacement glazed doors with surrounding glazed panels and plastic frames; a replacement window lights the kitchen above.

The southern aspect of the meeting house demonstrates the contrast between the concrete meeting room structure with the height of the roof and lantern rising above, and the low red-brick envelope of the ancillary space, the entrance opening leaving a space between the two. The set-back entrance is in line with the south-east wall of the meeting room structure and is protected by a horizontal block forming a hood, with a replacement fascia announcing the meeting house. The unpainted hardwood double doors are set asymmetrically within the space, each having a glazed panel and with vertical glazed panels to either side.

The wall enclosing the ancillary space runs parallel to Lawn Terrace, before turning through 45 degrees to form the west side of the entrance. Laid in garden wall bond, the wall has chamfered bricks along the top; the blind southern elevation is broken only by a later lead spout from the building's flat roof. To the west the wall is a little taller and takes uneven steps, enclosing the curve of the concourse within, each junction allowing for a narrow window. At the second junction, the link block continues northwards, in line with the west wall of the former church hall; there are two horizontal openings at the lower level. The windows all have concrete lintels.

Interior

Internally as well as externally, the contrast between the main room structure and the subsidiary elements is marked. The informal angles created by the stepped external wall lead the visitor gradually round the narrowing entrance concourse, creating an increasing sense of enclosure, whilst the graduated ceilings ascend towards the soaring geometry of the meeting room.

The calm but climactic meeting room is dominated by the pyramidal roof, with its ceiling of Karasea Russian redwood boarding, illuminated by the generous lantern. Four interlocking steel ties support the lantern's corner posts. The plastered walls receive additional natural lighting from the open glazed corner turrets, whilst electric lighting was originally provided by rectangular zinc lamps designed by Dannatt — these have been replaced with steel copies. The single narrow window in the south-east wall on to Lawn Terrace is intended for the purposes of re-orientation, rather than distraction; the single-paned metal frame is a reproduction of the original. Heaters are accommodated within niches in the corners, and there is an alcove for a piano in the north-east wall. The original cork flooring has been replaced by carpet.

Within the entrance hall the external concrete wall of the meeting room is exposed; the other walls are painted blockwork. The floor here is of rectangular quarry tiles. Circular lights are set into the ceilings, those now in place being larger than the originals. A glazed screen later inserted to the north-east creates a small triangular lobby prefacing the meeting hall.

To the north a doorway with a flush timber door leads to the kitchen, in the block originally linking with the Congregational church hall; a small lobby beyond contains the blocked doorway to the church hall. The kitchen, which has been refitted, also connects with the concourse via a serving hatch. To the south-west is a WC cubicle with replacement fittings and finishes, originally preceded by an open lobby which has now been enclosed and slightly enlarged. To the west is the narrow stair, enclosed by a low brick wall; its tiled treads are set diagonally, in line with the entrance, with a quarter turn near the bottom opening to four wide steps.

On the lower level, the rectangular main room to the east is divisible with an integral folding timber screen, each part of the room having its own door-opening with flush door and glazed surround. Three of the concrete piers supporting the meeting room above are partially visible within the room, their shuttered concrete surfaces forming part of the texture of the walls, which are otherwise of painted blockwork; the concrete is also now painted.

The irregular shape of the lower concourse is dictated by the brick wall of the stair to the west, the brick wall supporting the concourse above which cuts across the space by the eastern entrance, and to the north, the ragstone walling of the former church hall. To the west of this wall, a partition has been inserted, creating a cupboard, within which the blocked doorway to the church hall is visible. To the north-west is a small wedge-shaped kitchen. To the south are the WCs; this area has been reconfigured. The floors on the lower level are covered with linoleum, replacing the original asbestos tiles.

Subsidiary Features

The Lawn Terrace entrance to the meeting house is approached by a path of replacement concrete paving slabs, which are not included in the listing, with a small cobbled area to the west. The angled brick wall and iron fence to the southern boundary are a later addition and are not included in the listing.